G.I. Joe (v6) 1
|Synopsis1= ''It is a time of widespread war. Cobra Technologies has created a rogue militia that has spread its influence across the globe, leaving few places untouched. A '''G'lobal 'I'ntegrated 'J'oint 'O'perations 'E'xecutive struggles to halt Cobra’s advance, but things are looking increasingly dire… '' In Cobra-occupied Chicago, Duke makes his way to a small corner store to make a dead drop. Though the drop is successful, he has attracted the attention of three black armored stormtroopers from the feared Urban Viper Corps. A young motorbike deliveryman, Rithy Khay, witnesses the drop, but pays it no mind, instead going inside the store to see if the shopkeeper has any work for him. Rithy notes that pickings have slim ever since they stopped smuggling contraband, but the shopkeeper warns that times have changed – it’s only a matter of time before Cobra takes over the rest of the country, and resisting them is futile. Duke makes his way to a food court, using the chairs and the tables as weapons to take out his pursuers. But Cobra’s Director of Police Operations, Major Bludd, arrives with reinforcements, leaving Duke with no choice but to surrender. Rithy knocks over the trash can where Duke made the dead drop, finding a small flash drive. He quickly pockets it searches for a hiding place. Bludd notes Duke is one of the JOE team’s best operatives: He had thwarted Cobra campaigns in Staten Island and Rio Lindo, but notes that the war is over. Duke defiantly tells Bludd that the Joes will not stop fighting until Cobra surrenders. Bludd draws his service pistol and shoots Duke in the head. Rithy returns to his apartment and plugs the flash drive into his computer, which reveals schematics for a secret monitoring station. As he wonders what do with the information, Scarlett enters and urges him to forget what he has seen and return what he has stolen. Realizing that she was Duke’s partner, Rithy offers his condolences and expresses interest in helping her attack the station. Scarlett warns that he is out of his depth, prompting Rithy to reveal that his parents were killed when Cobra attacked Indianapolis, and his boyfriend is among the disappeared. Scarlett tells him he has done enough. Outside the monitoring station, the JOE field commander, Frontier, and his backup, Roadblock, reconnoiter their surroundings, noting that Duke’s intel was solid. After giving an all clear, the team’s infiltration specialist, Jinx, and their computer hacker, Fadeaway, sneak inside the server room and attempt to plant a bug into the central computer. Their operation is jeopardized when Rithy rides toward the base and lobs a Molotov cocktail at its main entrance. A trio of Vipers race toward the site of the explosion, forcing Frontier and Roadbloack to spring into action. In the ensuing fracas, Roadblock is forced to use lethal force for the first time, something that he takes hard. Jinx and Fadeaway make their way outside, and Frontier tells them need to return to base. Rithy will be coming with them as a security measure. Angered by Rithy screwing up their mission, Roadblock punches Rithy, knocking him out. Inside the JOE headquarters, Stalker and Scarlett debate what to with the blindfolded Rithy. Stalker is annoyed that Rithy messed up the operation, and warns Scarlett that he’s seen the type before: Angry and wants to fight, but lacks the discipline. Scarlett reminds him they need all the manpower they can get. Scarlett approaches Rithy, and noticing the ornate tiger logo on his jacket, declares his new callsign as Tiger, noting real names are not used at their base. She reveals that they are all that’s left of the JOE team. Due to their lower numbers, they recruit ordinary heroes to become spies and saboteurs. If he joins them, he will have to leave his old life behind. Espying the armored vehicles, Tiger asks if he gets to drive the tank. Roadblock and Fadeaway protest Tiger’s inclusion, but Stalker reminds him that is not their call. The argument is interrupted by the arrival of the JOE team’s founder, General Hawk. Hawk has bad news, Washington D.C. has surrendered, and JOE team has been ordered to cease operation. As the Joes watch the news feed of the Pentagon’s surrender in sheer disbelief, Fadeaway silently welcomes Tiger to the team. |Appearing1= Featured Characters |MemorableQuotes1= |Errors1= |ItemsOfNote1= * Cobra has taken over the world and crushed most of their opposition, with a small band of Joes serving as resistance. Where have we seen that before? * Writer Paul Allor has said this incarnation of G.I. Joe is inspired primarily from the Special Operations Executive (SOE), an offshoot of MI6 active in World War II that worked closely with French Resistance groups such as The Maquis, often recruiting civilians behind enemy lines. Particularly noteworthy is that Ian Fleming (the creator of James Bond) served in this group, as did Christopher Lee and Jon Pertwee. * This is not the first time Flint's name and nationality have been changed. |RealWorldRefs1= * Tiger's first act of resistance against Cobra involves throwing a bomb at them. Historically, Ignatius Grinevitsky assassinated Tsar Alexander II by killing him with a bomb. Grinevitsky was known as Kotik within the ranks of Narodnaya Volya. While Kotik actually means "kitten" in Russian, English writers of the time commonly Anglicized it as "tiger." |Footnotes= }}